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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Private Accts - Logistics?

Posted By: Need details on 2007-07-10
In Reply to:

I have been an MT for 8 yrs and have been thinking about getting my own accounts locally.  It would be much more efficient to avoid trips to dr's offices for pick-up/delivery, so my main question is what is a good alternate way to do this?  I have seen email mentioned, but can the work be transferred securely this way...is it emailed as an attachment so that work is done on another platform that has expanders/shortcuts integrated...what platform/program to use??  What equipment do I need...what equipment does the dr need for dictation...do I provide it or does doc?  I have so many questions about the logistics of working this out...detailed info would be greatly appreciated.


What to charge? ....I know this is controversial...was thinking .14 cpl (65 character), 12 font, ? margins.  Recommend higher or lower rate? (region=major city in AZ)


Marketing:  How to introduce service in marketing material...should I include price in the material or just say something like "reasonable" or "competitive"?


I welcome any input you may have, especially on the issue of specifics how to receive/deliver work, platform/equipment needed.


Thanks


 




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What to put in brochure for private accts-SM

I have the need to go out and find some more private accounts. The one I have is too erratic to depend on, and I fear will dry up shortly.


What information should I put in the brochure? Do I just say "experienced" or list the local places I work for and have worked for?


Bright color paper to bring attention to my services or good business quality?


Send to the office or the office manager ?


I have so many questions. Does anyone have any good suggestions, or even samples you might be willing to share with me? I have always gotten work by word of mouth. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated.


 


 


Just pause to think about the logistics...

Send someone where? To how many places? Just stand there on the street corner with your box full of $2000 debit cards and say come and get it? That they could even get something of this accomplished to have them in the mail and to these people in 14 days is remarkable. I can't even imagine the chaos of trying to figure out who to hand these $2000 debit cards to without an organized process.


This was posted right here on this board from someone with relatives in San Antonio, TX,..."they have evacuees housed in shopping malls and old A&P grocery stores.

My family's clothing donations were turned down. Evacuees told them they only want money and ready for this....HAIR PRODUCTS!!! "


 


And this comes from someone whose husband is a member of the Houston Fire Department...


"Well...

 

I feel sorry for these people - they have lost everything - they have nothing. I blame their own government at least a bit for not evacuating the ones that were too poor or had no way to evacuate.

 

That being said, it isn't going as well here as the media makes it out to be. Anthony has been down the to the Astrodome as required by the Fire Department, and I went down on Saturday with a friend of mine.

 

The Astrodome holds around 50,000 people - and there aren't that many evacuees down there. There are bathroom facilities, but these people are squatting on the streets, parking lots, and lawns of places down around the astrodome and leaving behind urine and fecal matter. They are throwing trash wherever they are when they finish with it, and quite a few act like we "owe" them something. I can't tell you how many people were bitching about the MRE's that they were being served.

 

As high as gas prices are, I will go out of my way not to have to drive by the Astrodome (my RE's office is about 1 mile from the dome). When you stop at a stop light they come up to your car and beg - and knock on the windows. There have even been reports of some jumping in the backs of pickups and even scratching cars and trucks with knives, if you don't give them money.

 

I know that there are some good people out there, but there are a lot of bad ones too. There are some that were appreciative of the baby formula (breastfeeders - please don't jump on me here) and diapers and coloring books that we were handing out - and some that were bitching about the brand of diapers, the fact that we were only authorized to give out one can of formula per child and that we didn't have a certain kind of bottles. I even had people that refused to take gift cards from Grocery Stores - wanting money instead.

Last night, one of the evacuees was able to score some alcohol somewhere, got drunk and carjacked a car and ran into several parked cars - the police were able to pull him over after a 15 minute chase.

 

And I can't get over the smell of raw sewage in the area of town that most of the evacuees are housed. The plumbing in the toilets are working just fine - but they aren't using it. They are trashing the place.

 

I can't imagine what it must be like for them, having nothing but the clothes on their backs - but I think I would be more appreciative of whatever someone could do for me, instead of griping about what kind of bottles they were giving me to feed my kids with, and that the MRE's were cold.

 

I really have mixed emotions about the whole thing. I feel sorry for the people who couldn't leave, and got stuck in the chaos. I don't have as much sympathy for the ones who could have left, but didn't want to.

 

I am sure I sound like a cold, callous, b****, but I was absolutely amazed at the attitude of most of the evacuees that I was in contact with on Saturday."


 


You have to have your own accts SM
and you definitely cannot be only getting 7 cpl.  I have always been an employee of nationals and in-house hospital, have never ever reached $40,000, more like 36, and I have 15 years' exp.
Flooding accts-MQ
I agree totally with what you said, I have an account that is going nuts because of the new MT's that the Amherst office threw in there and now the hospital is doing a lot of their own work but the only people that get hurt by this are the experience MT's that have had the misfortune of being transfered to Amherst. But yet the hiring continues and we are still running out of work. Hopefully there are not too many more offices that they will be closing, we do not need any more MT's sent to Amherst. I hope the statement about the Ohio office closing is not true and if it is, that they are not being transferred to Amherst, not to be mean, but we do not have enough work as it is and any of the accounts that are at the Foxboro office will be going up on DQS soon, which will add accounts but will also add more MT's. Even the accounts that are in Foxboro that are on MTs have all been flooded and those MT's are in the same situation, no work. I just don't understand why these 2 offices are run like they are--I know other MT's from other offices that always have work andcan make their lines every pay period and they are only in one account. Again and again as it has been stated here, why are all the offices not run the same???
Are they losing accts? Do

The work has dried up.   Again I won't make a full paycheck.  Others are saying the same thing.  I think you may be right.  Especially if you are an employee.  But wasn't that their plan from the start?


I can't imagine what this package is they are sending out. 


Unless they are going to offer to provide equipment, sufficient work/or a plan to give me lines (like on-call pay) for sitting with nothing to do IN WRITING, and a raise of 5 cents a line, the package will probably go in the round file right here beside me.


So is it just DQS accts that are out of Amherst?
Wondering.  Trying to piece things together here.
You have new accts--give them to the NE

I was told not to ask for any other accts, we have to do with what we have for now---that the work is low nationwide for MQ--and here you are telling me that you are getting new accts


Again is this MQ lies--if you have new accts and work--send it to the NE--we need it


no, but try to get more local accts....sm
makes one a whole less dependent than the companies using DQscribe (but again I do like the DQScribe program but would NEVER choose it for my private local accounts).  My local accounts still like the personal touch, still dictating into dictaphones, and they just like it this way.....they are not all that interested in getting more techy and they are all 35-48 in age............
Get your own accts. When approach Dr with
x
I live in VA and accts
that we were able to get didn't want to pay as much as I make now. Sounds like you've got a good thing going for you. I may start looking into this again as it's been a couple of years now since we did this.

Thanks for all the great info!
Anyone know the process for getting accts...
directly from Nuance (Dictaphone) to work on that are set up on their Enterprise system?
Have asked to be taken off 3 accts cause cant
x
I make between $14 and $20 but good accts. sm

Been at it for almost 20 years too.  Lots of templates, shortcuts, etc.  Depends on who I'm transcribing.  With some ESLs I would only make about $7 an hour if I had to do them all day.  My average is right around $17.  With some of my local work (on tapes) my templates are so huge, and I'm so used to what they are going to say, I've made $23.  But that's onlywith certain dictators.  It all varies and some dictators are sooooooo bad, you just lose money.


For example, if I had the $23 dollar an hour guy from my local and then did the $7 ESL from my national and combined 8 hours of work for both, I'm down to $15 an hour.  If I get stupid dicators all day from both sides, sometimes I can only average $12.  I guess it's the luck of the draw, if you know what I mean.


yes, i have asked to be switched to other accts
and they have accommodated me. With a previous office, they drug their feet awhile (needing to get other coverage)...but yes, ask!

I started with a second company once that also used DQS. Their tech support was able to give me instructions to retrieve all my shortcuts from my main job and put them into my files with company-B. No problem.

98-99% of the time my offices have worked with me very well -- don't hesitate to communicate your frustrations/needs and see if they won't work with you. Good luck.
Same here. Very low on work with multiple accts. nm
.
Need to add, old job I have own accts, new job will be working from pool. nm
:+
for 6 yrs and work is very light on 3 accts....nm
x
to patti and texan, how many accts? sm
I had several accts. which were tape accts. Now I have to go digital, so how do you do it? Do you work for nationals or do you do your own digital setup? Not trying to compete, just a lowly little Transcriptionist trying to simplify my life. At a point in my life where I have to slow down but don't want to, at least I want to make a decent living, not afraid of hard work, just told to cut down, having health problems thanks to "killing myself." Hope it doesn't happen to you, comes on all at once, too many hours at the keyboard, everything starts to "go" at once, lots of pain.
Too many accounts. Would be nice to just have 3 accts. nm
5
WEBMEDX Rad accts-anyone know platform..
is it all internet based or do you have to have a phone line, C-Phone, etc?  Very interested in applying but work now strictly via internet.  Thanks for any input!
I've been thinking of getting my own accts but
I'm worried about not being able to find coverage when I want to take a vacation.

How do you handle this with all the accounts that you have or do you have to take your work with you?
Credit accts pulled
This is not just happening with transcription- it is across the board. Just heard a consumer advocate here in town speaking about that yesterday, not on our end but just general public. The thought of employers is that if you cannot be responsible in your financial life, that your job will be the same. This advocatet was against it. Transcriptionists are not being picked out as a single group, lots more people at same place.
Some accts do allow a certain amt of blanks on their files. Over that, and
m
VA accts transcribed offshore
My first editing job was for a company located in Virginia that has since closed and one of their largest accounts was for a network of VA Hospitals. I always wondered if they (the VA) had any clue that the actual transcription was being done in India.
Those must be the guys working on accts I am editing.
:{
If you go to the eScription web site, I think they list some of their accts. right
s
smartmed paid 0.09, but like the other poster said i was better off with 0.08 due to accts. nm
;
Lots of places still offer accts using them, but you need to
s
That's IF you're lucky enough to be able to make 200 lph. Many accts are
s
We've only seen 1 or 2 ads here that offered a bit more for really awful ESL accts. Otherwise,
s
I worked there and they always ran out. Accts dropping like flies.
I'd find something else, fast!
Do not close credit card accts with 0 balance
I get offered and have used no interest credit cards for years.  They are usually no interest for 1-1/2 years.  When it is time for them to start charging interest, I roll them over into another no interest card.  I have never closed an acct, just cut up the cards and forget about them.  My FICO score is excellent, as is my credit.  I get offers for no interest cards at least once a week so it obviously hasn't hurt me. 
TransTech will do this on the bigger accts when they're swamped. nm
s
You get accts and charge them 19 cpl. Hire and pay us 12-15 cpl and see how long you stay in
:+
Take control. Resume job search while you keep this one. There are other great accts out there.
:P
I think DeVenture, eTransPlus, TransTech, and some Medware accts use
s
Help! Need advice. Trying to get my own MT accts in CA. What paperwork/contracts needed??

Hi, I'm trying to start my own small local MT business, and I'm just wondering if anyone knows what contracts/HIPAA paperwork should be signed between Drs. and myself.  I'm clueless on where to begin!


Thnx,


Rachel


Private ins
You can get private insurance lots cheaper than MOST COBRA plans but it is up to you.  Also a lot of times they only cover for so long and if I remember correctly dental and vision might  only be for one year and some plans do not COBRA that over.  And if your husband is self employed, then it could be a business expense to provide the insurance and with six figures could easily do it and pay less taxes.  I know COBRA is easier to just kind of roll over into, but again, it only lasts for 18 to 24 months and so you will be looking eventually.   However, just ask why suddenly you are not covered.  
You can't go wrong with Suze and take her advise, cut up cards but do NOT close accts. Just don&#
:I
One of my accts is in Baton Rouge and just today getting a few dictations trickling in. nm

:I


2 accts are direct hospital, 1 is a clinic and the 4th is a subcontractor position. nm
.
I have left higher paying yuck accts. There isnt
x
I use my private e-mail sm
and receive all my messages from my TC through my private e-mail.  In fact, I never receive anything throught my I-mail, don't even hardly check it anymore.  Call your TC and ask her/him what to do.  This may not be the same across the board, as so much is not the same from office to office!
LOL in private, not seclusion :-) sm
like a different room in the house. 
I would see about a private school.....

Your son sounds like a very bright young man... No offense to you, but can you honestly challenge him and teach him things you may not be proficient at yourself.  Foreign languages, advanced math, etc.  Even high school teachers only specialize in one subject.  Something to consider.


Private accounts

How do you go about getting private accounts?  Any MTs out there that have done this and are still doing it.  If so, how much can you charge per line for a private account that you obtained yourself.  I currently make 8 cents per line with an MTSO.  However, I have been hearing that if you have a private account with a doctors office you can actually charge a lot more, about 12 to 13 cents per line. 


Any tips on doing this.  I am currently an Independent Contractor and would like to expand my horizons.  Thanks for any advice.


It's how I got my private accounts....sm

I had business cards made up and every week, one day only, I went and solicited another medical building filled with offices usually next to a hospital.  I brought only a couple of resumes (nobody asked me for one either) and within a month or 6 weeks, I scored 5 private mds.  It's really all about self-confidence and belief in yourself and your own abilities.


I'm still working for 4 private MDs all these years, one of the 5 went into *receivership*, a form of bankruptcy.


Best of luck, believe in yourself, go solicit yourself and your abilities and don't be afraid.  If it worked for me, it can work for you!! 



I do agree - I have many private mds...nm

THANK YOU JAM for your private email....

very kind of you.  Please know that I do appreciate your help and the time you took to respond.


private accounts
anyone out there doing private accounts for docs who don't have to do operatives?  just trying to get some info as to what type of reports some may do when typing for own accounts.  I was thinking along the lines of internal medicine.  Thank you!
If you have private coverage on yourself, you would not--sm
need workers' compensation on yourself. your private insurance would cover anything happening to you. If you have employees, they may need it, but only if you offered them employee insurance benefits. JMO.